WQ6X LeVeRages Canadian RAC Contest for Station Configuration TesTing...

It has actually been a long time since a radiosport contest has been run from WQ6X's
portable setup @W7AYT's QTH in the East Bay (EB) Section.  With Field Day [already] long
behind me, the Canada Day RAC contest was the Perfect Opportunity for test-running the recently revamped Long John 3-El 10-meter yagi, not only on 10-meters, but 30, 20 & 15 as well.

On 10-meters the yagi worked more-or-less as expected from 3-element yagi, altho I was
still pleasantly surprised when KH6 stations called in off the back of the beam,  I never DID
work KH6 head-on  (it takes too long to rotate the yagi), which is one of the geographical advantages
of a station QTH being relatively close to the pond known as the Pacific Ocean.

Running 15 & 20 meters, the yagi seemed to perform like an oversized Buddi-Pole (w/o the mid-way loading coils), altho based on RBN SPoTs, it seemed to radiate as an end-fire array - with the yagi pointed 45-degrees azimuth, the SPoTs were had from TI7 (Costa Rica) and KP3 (Puerto Rico),
while LU8QT (loud and CLEAR) easily made it into the LoG; altho in Canadian contests, DX is
only worth 2-Points, while VE/VA QSOs are worth 10/20-Points.

Using the RBN Stats (with a 3-minute time-window) enabled rotating the antenna and checking
signal levels from different azimuths.  The actual signal-levels are often quite surprising.

After several weekends of testing, I have come to the overall conclusion that the Concord QTH is indeed a receive vortex.  

Based on RBN STATs and contest results, it would seem that stations all over the USA and Canada can hear WQ6X from W7AYT's QTH better than we can hear other signals potentially calling in.  I'm not sure whether to be elated or not.

The upcoming NAQP contest trio will help sort out the question as to whether the 3-el Buddi-Pole really does radiate end-fire, or whether there is also some sort of Broadside-array effects as well.

Being a haphazard array of wires, the 8jK Cobra dipoles seem to be heard everywhere.

Next year, I might again run WQ6X QRP remote for the RAC Canada ay contest.

For this year, just verifying the efficacy of the new antenna system was worth it all.  The upcoming weekend's Marconi Memorial contest will offer another test of the revamped antenna system.

DiD YOU work the RAC Canada Day GiG?
How many 10/20 point Canadians DiD you snag?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?